Background

As a member of the U.S. Senate, you have been tasked with developing proposals for national renewable energy projects. The senate has earmarked $1 billion for projects, and will then debate and vote on projects approved by committees (your groups.) Each committee will choose two proposals to take to the party (two groups combined,) and each party will select two projects to take to the senate.

Purpose:

-To hone your research and critical thinking skills in the pursuit, defense, and critique of renewable energy projects.

-To practice writing and editing a persuasive piece for a specific audience using formal tone/style & vocabulary.

-To learn more about current renewable energy technology, and evaluate information from a variety of sources.

-To explore how ideas move through government.

Assignment:

A persuasive research paper that utilizes research, in-text citations, and a logical argument to present a proposal for a renewable energy project in need of government funding (for example: a new tidal power plant, a wind or solar farm, or research for newer sources like thermos-acoustic generators and nuclear fusion.) Once completed, your proposals will be debated and voted upon in committees (your groups,) parties, and finally, the senate itself. Along the way, we will develop short questionnaires, and use them to conduct research into your project. You will also write and deliver a short speech to your fellow senators.

Your proposal must be 1,000-1,500 words, have at least five sources, and at least five in-text citations. Your argument must be logical (we’ll talk about this in class,) and some of your proposal must be devoted to addressing opposition to your project.

Requirements & Assessment:

-Paper is 1,000-1,500 words, not counting the Works Cited page; uses 12 pt font, 1.15-2x spaced throughout, with 1” margins (2 points)

-Paper contains 5+ sources, cited in APA format, and 5+ in-text citations(at least 1 for each sources) (3 points)

-2-5 paragraphs are devoted to thoughtfully, respectfully, and logically addressing opposition to your project (3 points)

-Argument is logical, and does not stray into emotion or opinion; thesis is clear and restated at the end (2 points)

-Credible scientific research is cited at least three times throughout the proposal (3 points)

-Prose is clear, appropriate for the audience, suitably formal (2 points)

-Polling data (data you gathered from in-class surveys,) is utilized effectively, and at least twice in your argument (3 points)

-Mechanical Precision (free of errors in grammar, punctuation, syntax, context, format) (2 points)